Instructions Not Included
by lunarchroniclesandcockatiels
Summary: Mortal AU. After his wife, Rachel, dies giving birth, Percy has to deal with the qualms of being a father by himself. That is, until he bumps into Annabeth Chase at the grocery store.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! Enjoy, and please review/ favorite/follow. Thanks!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus. I do, however, own a cockatiel. And about five hundred books.**

Percy sat in the car, driving to the hospital with his wife, Rachel, who was going to become a mother very soon.

"I'll be fine, Percy." Rachel said, smiling at her husband's concern while patting her round stomach. "Stop worrying so much."

"But the doctor said-" Percy started to say, before Rachel placed her hand over his mouth.

"Since when did we let some _doctor_ determine our fate? I for one, can not wait until this is all over, so I can stop craving pickles." Percy had to smile at his wife's humor.

"And the best part," he said, patting Rachel's hand. "Is that we'll finally be able to hold our little Lucy."

…

Lucia Amber Jackson was born on May 20, at eleven a.m., after nine hours of labor. She was a perfect little baby, with rosy cheeks, and a button-shaped nose, and Percy loved her to pieces.

But her birth was at a high cost, which was her mother. The doctor said that eclampsia had killed her, that he was sorry, but her blood pressure was just _too high_.

Percy cursed the doctor and modern medicine, for _not saving his wife_ , unaware that his new little girl was starting to cry.

….

He had no idea how to be a father. The words struck him like a knife.

Oh sure, Rachel had taught him the basics, and promised to show him more when the baby was born, but he had expected to do everything with her. He had no idea he would be raising the child alone, without Rachel at his side. He was beginning to regret not paying better attention.

For instance, how the heck were you supposed to change a diaper? One thing was for sure though: he needed to figure out soon.

….

The funeral was an uneventful one. Not many people besides a few members of Rachel's family and some co-workers attended. Percy attended too, with his new little girl. She was quiet during the funeral, as if she had more than an inkling of what was going on, and missed her mother.

Besides all the crying, nothing much really happened. Percy didn't cry though, he just sort of stared, as if he couldn't believe Rachel was really dead, and he was in charge of a motherless baby.

…

As it turned out, being a father wasn't to hard after all, if you didn't count the fifty million times Percy had to get up in the middle of the night, and the fifty million diapers he had to change every single day. It was annoying, sure, but he loved the way Lucy looked at him, with her tiny green eyes, and her shiny black hair that was beginning to grow.

He was shopping one day at the grocery store, with Lucy in her little baby stroller, when he bumped into a woman looking at cheese.

"Move over, _Seaweed Brain_!" she called, glaring at him.

Seaweed Brain? Where had she gotten a name like _that_?

"Oh yeah?" he answered back. "Well, stop getting in people's ways, _Wise Girl_."

Now that was a much better name, if he did say so himself.

"Well," she said. "You need to look where you're going."

They continued bickering until an annoyed looking salesman came over.

"Excuse me," he said. "You two can fight later at your own house. You're disrupting the cheese aisle. And by the way, you might want to pay attention to your daughter, as she's starting to cry."

"We're not-" Percy stuttered, turning red.

"I'm not-" said Annabeth, embarrassed that the salesman thought that she was married to that _Seaweed Brain_ over there.

 **A/N: How was it? Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! This story is being dedicated to Lucia "Lucy" Jackson, a real girl who sadly died when she was two. (I had no idea who she was when I named Lucy). Her organs were donated to save other's lives.**

Percy sighed, rebuttoning the tiny little buttons on the dress Lucy was wearing. She was growing bigger now, and she was almost four months old.

He silently thanked his awesome mother for teaching him how to change a diaper. And for the blue cookies she always made. Now those were _good._

For some reason, his thoughts kept drifting back to the girl at the store. What was her name? Oh yeah, Wise Girl.

He hadn't exactly liked her at the time, but now he could not get her out of her mind. It was as if an invisible person was whispering "Talk to her."

No idea why, but he was listening to that invisible person. Picking up Lucy, he placed her in her high chair, and gave her her bottle. She gurgled happily.

So far, Lucy had been a very happy baby, almost never crying. Well, not as much as babies on TV.

Then again, it was TV, so that probably wasn't a good source to base his ideas on.

He thought of Rachel, how she would have known the answer to Percy's question. He thought of what an amazing mother she would have made.

He missed her terribly.

In the end, it was the little things he remembered about her. Like how she refused to drink coffee, making tea instead. Or how she loved curling up on the couch with a good book on rainy days.

Placing Lucy's empty bottle in the sink full of dirty dishes, he absentmindedly opened the fridge. The first thing he noticed was the cheese.

Groaning, he closed the door.

Little did he know his and Wise Girl's lives would intertwine again in the future.

…...

 _Four Years Later_

Percy dropped Lucy off at preschool, her long, black hair in two adorable braids. She smiled at him, running to meet her friends. Only in preschool, and she was already trying to get away from her father.

On the way back to his car, he bumped into a woman with curly blonde hair and grey eyes.

"Sorry." she apologized, barely looking at him. "Wait a minute," she said. "Weren't you the guy who bumped into me at the grocery store four years ago?" she asked, if that was a normal question.

Percy gaped at her. "Um…. I bumped into a lot of people at the grocery four years ago."

"Yes," insisted the girl, "But the store manager thought we were married, and-"

"Oh yeah!" Percy cried. "Wise Girl!"

"Wise Girl?" she questioned. "Okay….. um, Seaweed Brain."

"So, what brings you here, Wise Girl?" Percy asked.

"Well," she said. "I'm just dropping my friend's kid off at preschool. You?"

"I was just dropping my daughter off." Percy replied. "I'm Percy, by the way."

"Annabeth." she replied. "My name is Annabeth."

"So," Percy said. An awkward silence hung around him. "Want to go out for coffee with me?"

Annabeth blushed. "What about your wife?"

"My wife?" Percy repeated, the word seeming unfamiliar to him. "My wife died giving birth to Lucy."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Annabeth cried.

Percy sighed, his eyes downcast. "Yeah. Eclampsia." he said placidly. Then changing the subject, he asked, "So, Wise Girl, will you have coffee with me?"

"Of course, Seaweed Brain."


	3. Chapter 3

"Daddy?" asked Lucy when they had reached the car. "Where's Mommy?"

The question caught Percy so off guard that he nearly choked on his water.

Percy had never really adressed the subject of Rachel with Lucy. Oh sure, Lucy had seen a picture or two here and there, but he had always managed to divert the subject.

His friend who had gone to school with him was a psychologist, and he had told Percy that it was best to tell Lucy about her mother when she was a bit older.

Like six or seven, maybe.

But Patrick had not taken into consideration the fact that four year old girls are very curios.

"Because," continued Lucy. "Anna and Ella and Emmy and Cara and Gracie all have a Mommy and a Daddy. But I just have a Daddy. Why?"

"Um," said Percy, trying to think of an answer. "Want to get ice cream?"

Lucy wrinkled her nose. "But it's March." she complained. "Also, what happened to Mommy?"

"No." Lucy reminded him. "It's Friday Movie Night. But why aren't you answering my question?"

"Your mother….. she um, left after you were born." Percy said. He hated to lie, but he didn't want to tell Lucy her mother had died. And it wasn't technically lying.

"Where did she go?" Lucy wanted to know. "And why didn't she come back?"

Percy's throat tightened. "She went to visit her brother. And she didn't come back because…. because her brother needed her."

Rachel's brother had died at the age of two, after drowning in the lake. Rachel had a few pictures, but she never mentioned him very often. It was a tough subject for her, and Percy understood that.

"Why didn't she take me?" Lucy inquired. Even at the age of four, Lucy was a smart girl with a lot of questions.

Percy sighed again. The doctor said that Lucy had come dangerously close to joining her mother, but there were some things you didn't tell a four year old.

"She almost did." Percy said. "But I didn't let her."

"Why not?" Lucy said.

"Because I needed you.

—

After dropping Lucy off at his mother's house, Percy headed off to the coffee shop to meet Annabeth.

The place was called the Lotus Cafe, and Percy had been going there even before he met Rachel.

Upon entering, Percy spotted Annabeth in a corner, and sat down.

"Hey, wise girl!" he called. Annabeth smirked a little and said hello.

"So," said Percy. "Want to get something to drink?"

"Um, sure." said Annabeth, getting out of her seat.

"No!" Percy cried loudly. Annabeth stared at him, her eyebrows raised.

"I mean," Percy corrected. "I'll get it for you."

"Oh." said Annabeth, her face reddening.

"So, what would you like?"

"Some tea, please."

Percy ran up to the counter. "Hey Grover," he called to his friend. "Can I get some tea, please?"

"Iced or hot?" Grover asked.

"Um." said Percy. "Iced or hot?" he yelled over to Annabeth.

"Hot!" she called back. "No sugar, please!"

"She said hot, and no sugar please." Percy repeated to Grover.

A look of amusement appeared on Grover's face.

"I know, man. I heard her."

"Oh." said Percy, a small bit of red appearing on his cheeks. "Can I also get a small regular coffee please?"

—-

Five minutes later, Percy returned to the table with Annabeth's tea, and coffee for himself.

"Thank you." said Annabeth, blowing on her hot drink. Percy smiled in return.

"So," said Annabeth. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No." Percy answered thoughtfully. "But I do have a lot of cousins, since my father was one of six kids.

"Oh, that's cool." Annabeth said absentmindedly. "I too, have a lot of cousins, and I also have two half- brothers."

"Yeah." said Percy sighing. "I actually haven't talked to my dad in quite a few years, but I'm pretty close to my cousins."

"I'm not that close to my mother." said Annabeth. "She left me with my dad after I was born."

"Oh."

"How's Lucy?" Annabeth asked, trying to change the subject.

"She's good." said Percy. "Always asking questions, though. You know?"

"Yeah." said Annabeth smiling. "My niece, Isabelle- well, she's actually my cousin'sc daughter- asks so many questions I can barely keep up with her."

"Yes." Percy agreed. "But sometimes, their questions don't have answers they're ready for. Sometimes, the answers are ones you don't even fully understand."

 **A/N: Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

The day Percy's life changed, for better or worse, was not the day he met Annabeth or Rachel. It was not the day Lucy was born, or the day Rachel died.

It was the day that the doorbell rang.

It had been a normal Saturday morning. Lucy waking up at five, trying to make pancakes and almost setting the house on fire, Percy calling the fire department because of all the smoke…..

Well…. mostly normal.

The doorbell rang at precisely nine thirty. Percy opened the door, as that was what you were supposed to do when the doorbell rang. He thought it was either the mailman, coming to drop off a package.

Instead, it was someone whom Percy had not seen in a long time. It was Rachel's parents.

"Good day, Perseus." said Mrs. Dare, unfolding her umbrella. "May we step in for a moment?"

"Um, sure?" Percy said, although his statement sounded more like a question.

Lucy peered at them from the top of the stairs. "Who are they, Daddy?" she asked nervously.

"Um…." Percy gestured to the Dares. "These are your Grandma and Grandpa."

Lucy frowned. "But I thought you said-"

"Not right now, Luce." Percy interrupted. "Why don't you go play in your room for a little bit, okay?"

Lucy sighed, slinking back to her room, and closing the door. "Okay, Daddy."

Percy turned back to his mother and father- in- law.

Mrs. Dare appeared to be inspecting the kitchen. "Unclean kitchen." she muttered, scribbling something in a notebook.

"We're here to talk about the placement of Lucy." Mrs. Dare said, sliding her notebook back into her purse.

" _Placement_?" said Percy. "What do you mean, _placement_?"

"Well," Mrs. Dare started. "The unclean house, unsteady job, and not having time to spend with your daughter are all signs of an unfit parent." She paused a moment to pull some document out of her purse, and handed it over to Percy.

Percy scanned his eyes over the document quickly, evaluating the words at hand. His eyes caught on a certain section of the paper. Rights of grandparents?

His heart sank. His own mother- in- law wanted to steal his last piece of Rachel from him? His own baby?

"No." said firmly.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Dare asked.

"No, you are not taking my daughter." Percy yelled.

Mrs. Dare sighed, as if this were some mere decision about who got to take home the pink teddy bear rather than the blue one.

"Perseus Jackson." she stated, carefully annunciating each syllable. "You are not a fit parent for Lucia Jackson. Your job as a Marine Biologist doesn't allow you to spend as much time with your daughter as necessary."

"She stays with my Mom when I'm not home." Percy muttered.

Mrs. Dare ignored him. "Also, your house is not the cleanest."

That statement was kind of true. Okay, really true, but Mrs. Dare was going to take away his daughter on account of some dirty socks?

"And also, Perseus," Mrs. Dare continued. "Is it true that you've gone through eleven different jobs in this year alone."

"Yeah." Percy muttered, looking down. So he did go through jobs pretty quickly, but he was pretty positive this job was going to be The One.

You always say that, a little voice in his head told him. She's right, you know. You aren't a good parent for Lucy.

"There is also the matter of a healthy diet. What are you having for dinner, tonight, Perseus?"

"Chicken fingers." Percy answered.

"See what I mean?" Mrs. Dare smirked.

"Rachel would have done better." Her husband muttered.

Something in Percy seemed to click.

"Get out!" He shouted, standing up. "This is my house, my life, and my little girl, and there is nothing you can do to change that!"

"Very well." Mrs. Dare said, standing up. She stared hard at Percy. "I'll be seeing you in court. Wednesday, at precisely three o'clock. And I expect you to bring Lucy."

—-

Percy sat down at the table, massaging his temple. What was he supposed to do? He wasn't a lawyer, he didn't know anything about who got to raise the child. Clearly, Mrs. Dare did- and she was going to let him know it.

"Rachel," he whispered, staring at the wedding ring on his finger he had refused to take off, even though Rachel was long gone. "I need you. Why did you have to go?"

Suddenly, an overwhelming calmness seemed to grow in him from somewhere deep, and replace the large void of sadness Percy had been feeling for four years now. He smiled, staring at the picture of Rachel in his hand.

 **A/N: So, how was it? Please tell me in your review!**


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